Winds shifting for Washoe school tax bill

The biggest development for Washoe County students and taxpayers at the Nevada Legislature last week was the floating of a proposal for a major shift in the school's district's tax bill.

The Washoe school tax would raise money for the upkeep of the county's aging schools. The proposal that was approved in committee had the Legislature raising the taxes, a chore that requires a two-thirds vote in both houses.

Assemblyman Randy Kirner, whose Reno/Incline Village constituency is divided on the proposal, suggested the bill be amended to let the Washoe commissioners or voters decide the issue. A similar plan had previously been presented by Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno.

Two Washoe County commissioners - Marsha Berkbigler and Kitty Jung - pledged support for the tax proposal if the decision were to go to commissioners.

Another, Commission Chairman David Humke, is waiting to see what version of the bill comes out of the Legislature.

"I am ashamed to see some of these schools," Jung said. "They are like schools in Third-World countries."

Berkbigler said her support hinges on keeping the bill the way it is.

"I personally would support it if it comes to me the way I see it right now," Berkbigler said during a taping of "Nevada Newsmakers" in Carson City.

Currently, the bill proposes to raise property taxes by 5 cents for each $100 of assessed value. Sales taxes would be raised 0.25 percent.

"It is not out of the Legislature yet, so, of course, lots of things could change on it. But Washoe County doesn't have another way of funding their facilities," Berkbigler said. "So, my personal belief is we need to fund our aging facilities."

Humke mentioned a proposal that would sunset the taxes after a prescribed time. But recent legislative history shows the "sunset" in sunset taxes never seems to arrive.

The bill has had three proposed versions so far, and more may come.

"This will have five or six amendments," Humke predicted. "It is barely through one committee. It still has to go through the Assembly and the Senate. And there are going to be a lot of cooks working on this stew, as they say."

Berkbigler noted that her alma mater, Sparks High - home of the Railroaders - is "in sad shape and needs a lot of help."

"I have not had one constituent come to me and say, 'Don't support that if it comes to you,' " Berkbigler said. "I've had several who sent me email pictures of their school rooms that their children are in. And they are in sad shape."

So, the school district has two votes on the five-person County Commission. Getting that third vote will be tough. No one would be surprised if Chairman Dave Humke and Commissioner Bonnie Webber voted no. The school districts' lobbying effort, perhaps, will settle on Commissioner Vaughn Hartung, first elected in 2012.

JUNG HOPESTHAT, if the Legislature passes the decision on to Washoe County, commissioners will be the ones to decide, not voters.

A ballot question for Washoe schools could get lost on the 2014 general election ballot. Voters might also confuse the ballot question for a Washoe schools tax with that of the state teachers union's margins tax proposal, since both issues are focused on education.

"Study after study shows that if you put too many questions on a ballot, voters get confused and, rightfully so, vote no on everything." Jung said.

If the issue is decided by votes, it's a case of déjà vu all over again.

In 2007, the Legislature passed a Washoe school tax proposal on to the voters and it was defeated. That ballot question was formulated after the school district couldn't get the two-thirds vote to raise the taxes.

"I don't know why we are in office anymore if we are only going to send everything out to the voters," Jung said. "We (commissioners) know the certain nuances and have the institutional memory. I'm not saying that the voters are not smart enough to understand this, but I can tell you that ballot questions are written in such a way that I don't even know what they mean."

SPEAKER EMERTUS JOE DINI of Yerington, 83, has returned to his Yerington home in the past weeks after an extended stay in a Carson City hospital.

"He spent 65 days in the hospital," son and Yerington Mayor George Dini said. "He is fairly weak still and goes to his dialysis three days a week. We have him with some home health, so he doesn't fall or anything."

BRIANNA'S LAW, the DNA testing bill, is winding its way through the Legislature. Of course, the bill is named after Reno murder victim Brianna Denison and would allow police to take a DNA sample from those arrested for felonies.

Sen. Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, said he will sponsor a DNA bill during the 2013 session that would help exonerate prisoners who may have been wrongfully convicted by using DNA.

Ford is the cousin of Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins, who has become a folk hero with some people in Texas for using DNA to free the wrongfully convicted. The Wall Street Journal has described Watkins as the "only prosecutor in America who is making his name getting people out of prison."

Read Ray Hagar's political blog "Inside Nevada Politics" at RGJ.com/INP and follow him on Twitter @RGJRayHagar.

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Winds shifting for Washoe school tax bill

The biggest development for Washoe County students and taxpayers at the Nevada Legislature last week was the floating of a proposal for a major shift in the school's district's tax bill.

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